Women have long suffered from uncomfortable dress shoes. In order to incorporate stylish features in the shoes, it has been necessary to construct the shoes of rigid durable materials to provide a high degree of support with a minimal amount of material. Recent developments in outsole materials and shock absorbing foam materials have been incorporated into athletic footwear but not in dress shoes such as pumps because of the difficulties in providing such features in a shoe which is still stylish for dress wear or street wear.